Metal detecting for hogs - Ended 2017 and Started 2018 in a good way.

Predator257Roy

New member
Yup, metal detecting for hogs!
New Years afternoon was great weather and my neighbor had shut the cows out of the 10 acre parcel of his surrounded by the State Forest land. I put up my feeder and two man ladder stand in a great looking spot to try to get these hogs coming in regularly where I can better hunt them and hopefully get my daughter on a hog.
After performing my pre-hunting activities, I broke out the metal detector. I had recently come across a .44 Henry flat rimfire cartridge in the peanut field, with old colored glass scattered about on the surface of the sandy soil, so I thought it may be worth swing the Mine Lab over it. That cartridge was introduced in 1865 and large rimfires weren't around long. We found some brass from old paper shotgun shells, an old pocket knife, and some other brass and copper pieces of junk, getting good enough with the detector to not dig iron any more. It was getting dusky and I was making my last pass in the field when my neighbor buddy tapped me on the shoulder and said "Dude, the hogs are right over there". We were both in the middle of the field, talking and carrying on, detecting and digging and about 150 yards out in the field with us are around 40 hogs of all sizes and colors! I ran back to the truck about 100 yards further away from he hogs and grab my AR15 from the truck. I open the door to the F150 and the lights come on. The pigs don't seem bothered and I run out back out about 150 yards into the field to line up for a good shot. The adjacent field had cows and horses so I had to get into a safe shot situation. At 100 yards from the hogs I lay down and flip out the bipod. With the hogs moving to my right and away from the livestock I pick out an average size hog leading the pack and maybe getting slightly nervous. I pull the trigger and the Thunderbeast suppressor allows me to here a distinctive "pop". Hog down! The hogs turn 180 degrees and now stampeding to my left with livestock in the background. Stampeding hogs and dry sandy soil quickly turn into a dust cloud. Two reasons to not shoot, otherwise it could have been a blood bath! I re-acquire the hogs as they are ducking a fence headed to the forest land and with a slight lead on the only hog I can see through the dust I shoot again and also hear a pop and see the hog come to a screeching halt. Both hogs dropped immediately with M855 62gr steel core penetrators, one DRT, one finishing shot required.
That's how you kill hogs while metal detecting!
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I think the bigger hog was 250ish. My 6'4" country fed neighbor and I had I time getting her in the truck. It was all we could do to get her on the tailgate. Other one maybe 175.

I ended 2017 and brought in 2018 scalding and scraping the smaller hog. The big one went to a local that my neighbor knew who could use the meat.

New Year's Day brought about colder temperatures, but a hot smoker. Cut the hog in half and cooked on the smoker all day. This was again some of the best pork I've had. She had plenty of fat and cooked up nice.

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Organic, free range rib dinner worthy of the the beer!

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Congratulations, two fine Hogs!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the phots, the Smoked Hog sure looks Good. My favorite way to enjoy them, like you said it is the best pork you can eat.
 
As far as eating goes, I'm checking for nuts on the backside, and I want sows only to eat. Killed one boar a few months back and he was solid muscle, no fat, and hard to clean.
 
Looking at the pictures with the hogs on the pit and you holding him up, I think you over estimated the weight on those hogs. They are usually a lot less than you think, and I have weighed a lot of them so I know first hand.

Always good to make your guess them actually weigh them. After a while you will get good at it. I have some batter fried pork steaks for lunch today. Sure was good.
 
I hear ya Yellowhammer. Shrinkage? It doesn't look as big on the smoker. Looks bigger on the back of the truck. I know they didn't load easy with two strong guys doing the lifting. Coming off the smoker was easy for just one lifting half a pig. How about 150 and 200 then? They were both pregnant too.
Yup, need a scale. I'm going with the "shrinkage" defense....
 
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